Often times, I read books that I don’t write a full review about but still think that they’re worth mentioning. These are just a few of the books I’ve read this year that fall into that category.
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No Mercy
By Lori Armstrong
Touchstone
$25.00, hard cover, 307 pages, 978-1-2019-9095-8 (2010)
On medical leave from Iraq, former army sniper Mercy Gunderson returns to her home in South Dakota shortly after the death of her father. She must decide what to do with the family ranch, but before she can take action, a young Indian boy is found dead on her land. When the new sheriff doesn’t seem to be doing much to find out what happened to the boy, Mercy reluctantly begins her own investigation.
Armstrong is a wonderful writer and she describes ranch life and Mercy with grace and simplicity.
The sun seared my skin. As I gazed across the flat, open area between the halting house and the half-dozen of buildings — metal, wood, antique, and new — I reconnected with my eighteen-year-old self and the realization I’d been trapped in a life I hadn’t chosen.
So how was it I’d traveled to all those exotic locales of my youthful daydreams only to find myself back here on the ranch? Facing responsibilities I didn’t want, with a sinking feeling I’d gone no place at all?
A mourning dove cooed. Another answered. I lifted my face to the blazing sky, wishing for a draft of cool air to carry earthy scents of freshly mowed hay. But with the dry conditions all I caught was another nose full of dust.
This is an engrossing mystery and Mercy isn’t the typical investigator who either knows it all or else never loses her way. She is realistically portrayed with plenty of faults that mar her many admirable qualities. Although the identity of the killer wasn’t a surprise, getting there was worth the ride.
Purchase it on Amazon here.
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When the Game Was Ours
By Larry Bird and Ervin Magic Johnson
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
$26.00, hard cover, 340 pages, 978-0-547-22547-0 (2009)
I had high hopes for this book. After all, I was going to law school in Boston when Larry Bird was leading the Celtics. After they’d beat up on the Lakers, I’d sometimes go to Harvard Square to pick up a copy of the L.A. Times just to hear the Lakers whine. (This was before the Internet made newspapers passé.)
I vividly remember stories of Bird talking trash to the other players. Like the time he walked into the first NBA three point shoot out, eyeing the other players in the All-Star locker room, and boastfully asked, “Man, who’s comin’ in second?” He then went out and won it.
I wanted to read about the Birdman that was at the top of his game and didn’t hesitate to tell the whole world about it. Like the time in the playoffs in 1985 with the Philadelphia 76er when Philly had just beaten Boston, and the teams were scheduled to go back to Boston for the next game and return to Philly again if the Celtics lost at home. A Sixers’ fan yelled to Larry that he’d see him back in the Spectrum again for game six. Larry replied, “You’ve got a better chance of seeing God.”
Unfortunately, this is the calm, professional Larry Bird and Magic Johnson looking back after many years and coloring their memories with respect and admiration for the other player. I wanted bravado – instead I got civility. Boring.
Purchase it on Amazon here.
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Last Words
By George Carlin (with Tony Hendra)
Free Press
$26.99, hard cover, 297 pages, 978-1-2019-7295-7 (2009)
All I can say is, don’t read this book thinking that you’ll be getting any insight into George Carlin’s comedy. Although Carlin had died prior to the publication of this book, it reads like an autobiography. That’s not to say that there isn’t any humor in the book.
In 1983, George Carlin asked Tony Hendra to help him write his autobiography. For nearly 15 years, they had numerous conversations (often recorded) until Carlin died in 2008 at the age of 71. Hendra then assembled the conversations into this book.
This book is filled with the honesty that you would expect from George Carlin. It depicts both good times and bad – and everything in between. For anyone interested in the real George Carlin, and not just his standup routines, this book’s for you.
Purchase it on Amazon here.
